'Chahal’s bowling there becomes very important' - Irfan Pathan picks crucial matchups for MI vs PBKS clash

Published - 16 Apr 2026, 16:36 IST | Updated - 16 Apr 2026, 16:55 IST

Irfan Pathan shared his views on Yuzvendra Chahal's matchups with Suryakumar Yadav and Hardik Pandya ahead of the Punjab Kings' clash against the Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday, April 16.

The former India all-rounder underscored Chahal's excellent numbers while bowling to Suryakumar and Hardik. Punjab's talismanic leg-spinner, Chahal, has dismissed Suryakumar four times. The Indian T20I skipper is averaging 29 against him. On the other hand, Hardik has been dismissed four times as well by the 35-year-old, and he averages just 17.80 with the bat against him.

“Chahal versus Suryakumar Yadav, he has dismissed him four times. How will Surya play? Surya’s form has been very indifferent. So, Chahal’s bowling there becomes very important. But it is also important to keep at least one over for Hardik because he has also dismissed him four times," Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“So I think Shreyas will definitely use his mind. He is that kind of captain, a very experienced captain. Because of that, he will definitely keep this matchup between the two players in mind. Because when Hardik comes to attack in that aggressive style. If a spinner bowls a fixed line against Hardik, he will get hit. But if he varies his line, we have seen that the Namibia captain dismissed him,” he added.

Pathan opined that it will be imperative for the five-time champions to dismiss Priyansh Arya early because the southpaw can cause a lot of damage in tandem with his opening partner, Prabhsimran Singh. The cricketer-turned-expert suggested that the Mumbai bowlers should look to bowl full and look to hit the top of the stumps instead of going too short against Arya.

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“What plan will Mumbai make against Priyansh Arya? I think they should bowl the incoming delivery a bit fuller, a good length that hits the upper part of the stumps, and not short. If you bowl short, he likes it. Unless it is a very good bouncer, which works against any batter. But can Deepak Chahar’s inswing be effective? Or Hardik Pandya’s inswing if he bowls? Or even Bumrah could come in with yorkers.

“If you get Priyansh Arya out early in the powerplay, you can control the game to a large extent. The game flows from both ends, with Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya doing the same. So that can create problems. That is why proper planning is needed, with a slightly fuller length,” he added.